The Dojo Ramen Bar / Northcote

When you’re craving ramen, there is nothing for it but to drop everything and overload on Japanese food. We visited The Dojo Ramen Bar in Northcote for our fill of this delicious Japanese comfort food.

The Dojo has a great feel about it. The space is casual and welcoming, cool but accessible. It aims to emulate the feel of Tokyo ramen bars while fitting the Melbourne scene.

The menu has plenty of delicious foods to choose from and we ordered as much as possible to get a taste of everything.

Our starters included old favourite edamame, crispy, salty Japanese fried chicken and Okonmyaki on a stick. This was a particular surprise as this dish is usually served almost like a cabbage pizza. The stick was easy to eat and had all the flavour of the original but did lose a bit of the crispness.

We also tried the Pork Gyoza, served hot and crispy with a whack of flavour, and a refreshing sauce of vinegar, sesame and soy.

Finally what we came for, the ramen!

Our first choice was the chilli miso ramen. The hot and salty broth combined with the richness of the cha shu pork and the ooze of the ajitama (marinated and soft boiled) egg to create a beautifully balanced and flavoursome dish. I’m a particular fan of the miso tare and this had just the right hit of spice to warm without overwhelming.

We also tried the Shio ramen. A delicious pork broth combined with the saltiness of the shio to create an umami filled dish. The pork, egg, noodles and broth were just what we were craving and did indeed bring great comfort.

Whatever is happening in the super secret broth of The Dojo’s is delicious and just what we were looking for. We will continue to explore the ramen dens of Melbourne for the sake of research, of course!

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